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Bright Lights

1 Sep

We try to make good decisions most of the time. We weigh the options, think about results, and try to plan for the best outcomes. Most of the time. Sometimes when we’re in a rush and things are pressing on us we may make a decision out of desperation that takes us somewhere we aren’t happy about. Of course we can always change course and correct the situation but the detour may take time and keep us from where we want to go. When we’re in a dark room it’s hard to find anything and we may trip on something we can’t see. When there’s little light we have to rely on our instincts and try to navigate through without getting hurt. Just like being in a dark room if we make decisions without all the facts we may trip and fall. If we can’t see well, we may stumble and choose a path that doesn’t work. To make our best decisions we need to see everything possible and turn on all the lights. It’s amazing how different things look in the light if we’ve been traveling in the dark. Light clarifies our path and shows us everything that may trip us. We have the power to turn the lights on before we decide by stopping and waiting for the situation to clear. Most decisions can withstand the time it takes for us to get the information we need to choose well. Taking a little more time instead of rushing will help us make the best decisions we can and have the best chance of taking us to where we really want to go.

When we’re in the process of making an important decision there are sometimes others involved. They may have their own personal ideas about how things should go and what we should do, and they may try to influence us. Some people have their own agendas and may try to pressure us into choosing what benefits them. We may get all kinds of advice about what we should or shouldn’t do. We can listen to everyone else’s opinion if we like and we can weigh all the possibilities but in the end if the decision is ours we can do what we feel is best. We know where we want to go and how we want things to be. We can listen to other ideas and still choose what is best for us.

Sometimes we may make a decision in a situation that is unclear because we are pressured to move quickly. If we don’t have enough time to see clearly we may choose something that doesn’t work out. Nobody makes bad decisions on purpose thinking they will take them to success. If we’ve made a bad choice in a rush, and can now see clearly where we faltered we can go back and correct our course. Nothing is permanent in life and everything can be changed. There isn’t anything we can’t change if we want to badly enough. Bright lights are needed to make the best decisions. We can turn the light all the way up by taking our time and getting the facts first. We are smart enough and wise enough to make good choices, and we can take the time we need to ensure we do.

Today if you feel pressure to make a decision but aren’t sure, take a step back and see the facts clearly. Take the time you need to ensure your decision takes you exactly where you want to go. Turn the lights all the way up so you can see the road ahead. You will choose well and find your way. You have everything you need to succeed.

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For Us

23 Aug

We interact with all kinds of people as we go through our lives and as we develop relationships we learn new things and understand more about who we are. Sometimes our friendships and close relationships bring us happiness, and sometimes we struggle with conflict. It’s inevitable that we’ll be hurt at some point. Someone will do or say something that is offensive and we feel the sting of pain. If the damage is great enough it may threaten the relationship or even sever our ties completely. When that happens we may carry the pain forward with us. How long we hold onto it depends on what we do. Sometimes we are able to let it go and move forward but sometimes it stays with us and we struggle trying to find our way. If a relationship has been severed, we may grieve for the loss. It can be hard to get over a deep disappointment or devastating personal injury. We may be angry at the person who hurt us and we may find it hard to forgive their actions. We may get stuck unable to move forward as we try to understand what’s happened and how to cope with the loss.

Forgiveness means to be able to stop blaming or be angry with someone else for something they’ve done. When we’re hurt and feeling bad our lives are impacted and we may be stalled as we try to navigate through. If we feel betrayed and sad it’s hard to find happiness. The disappointment may control our focus and we may get stuck trying to find our way. When we’re able to forgive we can begin to let go of the pain we’ve been carrying and move forward, and any guilt or sorrow may be assuaged. We all understand that forgiveness is a blessing for the person who commits an offense. But when we are able to forgive it changes the situation for us as well. Forgiveness brings relief from pain and anger. We can let go of the sorrow and start again. In the end, forgiveness is as much for us as for those who hurt us.

We deserve every happiness and success. Our lives belong to us and we can strive for all our dreams. But things will go wrong from time to time and we will be hurt. Getting derailed by pain and loss can hold us back and prevent us from moving forward. As long as we allow the pain to have control over us we will be stuck. When things go wrong, we can’t change what has happened but we can determine to do what is needed to release us from what is holding us back. Forgiveness is the key that will unlock the gate and let us move past. It’s a gift we give to ourselves to set us free. We can choose it and allow the pain to recede so we can walk past it and onto to our goals. We have everything we need to find happiness. We can do anything. Learning to forgive will help us accomplish everything.

Today if you’re hurt from something someone has done, and if you feel stuck and are suffering, you have the power to change it. Consider what has happened and learn what you can, and then forgive. Let it go and move into the light again. There are so many wonderful gifts waiting for you. Open the gate to forgiveness and walk toward them. You can do anything and you have all the power you need. Move forward. Happiness is there for you.

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Quarter Turn

8 Aug

There are times when we’re working on a problem or dealing with others that things don’t go exactly as we want them to.  If there is contention or complications and they are persistent we can get hung up and stopped in our tracks.  If that continues we may become frustrated, feel it’s not worth the hassle, and consider completely abandoning our plans. Giving up is always an option but we don’t have to.  We don’t have to turn all the way around or exclude ourselves from any situation because it’s not going smoothly.  Sometimes a simple adjustment will change things.  A small quarter turn to the left or right can sometimes be all that’s needed to make things work.  Just a small adjustment in our thinking or our decisions may pave the road forward.  We may overlook small adjustments as possible solutions because they seem insignificant.  But a quarter turn that enables success is certainly worth consideration, and can sometimes change the whole picture and open doors going forward.

We all have ideas about how things should go.  If we make decisions about what needs to be done and are convinced it’s the best way forward it may be hard to hear other suggestions.  But everybody has their own perspective and sometimes we don’t know the whole story.  Others have valuable insight and if we listen and allow our plans to be modified we may more easily find success.  It’s impossible to know everything every time.  When things don’t go easily and there are roadblocks keeping us from success, listening to other suggestions and leaning a little toward them may correct our course.  Instead of completely quitting or giving up, we can adjust our trajectory and successfully get to the goal.

Life is rarely an “all or nothing” scenario.  There are few times when there is only one way to do things or only one option.  Generally there is flexibility in our decisions and more than one method that will bring success.  Being open to many ideas and suggestions will help us going forward.  Everyone has something to offer and different perspectives allow us to see things in new ways.  We can be open enough to hear them and lean a little here or there, perhaps making a quarter turn to enable success.  Being rigid and unwilling to listen gives us only one option – ours.  But hearing other suggestions and viewpoints and embracing them gives us many options, and many options can open many doors.  Success is the ultimate goal.  We don’t have to always do it our way.  We can hear as many ideas as possible to help us get where we want to go.

Today if you’re working on a situation but things aren’t moving as well as you hoped, ask for suggestions from others.  Listen to new perspectives and be open to trying another way.  We all have great ideas.  Hear them and adjust your path to find success.  You know what you want.  Turn a little and let others help you find it.

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With Purpose

28 Jul

No matter what we’re doing with our lives, we have purpose. We are here for reasons that may elude us at times, but we are important and essential in our lives and to those around us. Recognizing our importance helps us live with purpose and define our journey each day. Life can get away from us if we aren’t careful and before we know it we may forget why we’re here or who we really are. But if we remember we are important and if what we’re doing isn’t what we want to do, we can change course. If we think about our purpose each day, and determine what we want to accomplish we will be more effective. Each day is a gift and every moment we’re here brings the chance to do something amazing and incredible. Living on purpose, meaning it every moment, and paying attention will help us become the very best we can be.

Routine has a way of numbing our focus. We know where we’re going, we know what to do, and we pretty much know what to expect. There is nothing wrong with routine but if we tune into each thing we’re doing instead of just going through the motions, even if we’ve done it a thousand times, we can learn something new. Everything changes every day but sometimes we have to look for the changes to see them. Meandering around and hanging back may keep us in a holding pattern. If we explore new ideas and ways to get things done, and apply ourselves to each activity we will open new doors and discover new ideas. We can’t expect to embellish our experiences and grow if we repeat them over and over again and do nothing to enhance them.

Being patient is valuable and if we choose to we can sit patiently and wait for everything we want to come to us. We can go through our lives day by day doing the same things and hoping something will come along to change them. But waiting for changes to come to us and doing nothing to make them happen is often fruitless. Waiting is fine if there is nothing we can do to make things happen, but often while we wait opportunities pass us by. It’s like being trapped in a flood and treading water because we have no boat to save us. While we’re patiently waiting and hoping for a boat we may let a large log that could carry us to safety pass by. If we sit and wait for exactly what we think we need to move forward and focus only on that, we may not recognize other things that could propel us ahead. But we can purposefully look for solutions instead of waiting for them to arrive. We are in charge of our lives and if we live them with purpose we will achieve our greatest goals and find success.

Today if you’ve been waiting for an answer to come to you, look around and find a solution that will work. Try something new and go forward with purpose. You have so much to offer. You know how to get things done and where you want to go. Stop waiting. All the answers are already there. Recognize them, use them, and start walking forward.

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Doing it Right

11 Jul

When we’re trying to get something done and we encounter a complication that takes time and effort to navigate we have lots of choices we can make.  If we’re in a hurry to complete the task and don’t care how we get it done, we can push through whatever problems arise, focus only on our goal and rush forward.  If the goal is something we’ve worked toward for a long time and are tired of dealing with it we might ignore problems and go around them instead of solving them.  We can get to any goal any way we want to.  We can work problems and find the best solutions as we go or we can shove our way through in order to finish the task and move on.  If all we see is the finish line and pay no attention to how we get there we might take shortcuts to get there sooner but in the end neglecting details may cause us more headaches.  Doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing.  But if we do our best to completely address each situation and solve whatever problems arise as go our path will often be less complicated later.  It may take a little more time to tie up all the loose ends but left dangling and unsolved, problems have a way of circling back and tangling up our future plans.  They say a job worth doing is worth doing well, and that’s true.  If we effectively try to do our best as we go, the road will be easier and less complicated in the future.

Quick fixes are great.  We get in, do what absolutely has to be done now, and get out.  But the quick fix isn’t always the best option.  In the material world if we have something that’s broken and needs repair but we don’t have time, we might do something to hold it for now.  We know the fix won’t last forever and it’s just a patch until we can return and take care of the problem permanently.  In our personal lives we sometimes use quick fixes as well.  The problem with using quick fixes is our lives continue on and more things happen.  We have other situations to address and before we know it time has gone by and we haven’t returned to finish the situation we set aside.  If we do this continually our lives will be cluttered up with all kinds of problems that are half finished and half solved.  They’ll be in the back of our minds niggling at us to return and may chip away at our confidence because we haven’t completed them.

Most problems have a beginning when they arise, a middle as we process them and figure them out, and an end when we solve them.  Solving a problem is the only way to get rid of it.  It’s the only way to leave it behind and move ahead.  If we get stuck in the middle, and set it aside, the problem sits and waits for us to return.  Most problems don’t go away on their own.  They hang around until we decide to look at them and solve them.  While they wait, we carry them with us.  They weigh on us and may impact our ability to move forward.  It’s like dragging something heavy behind us as we try to step ahead.  We can keep our lives clear if we address our problems and do our best to resolve them when they appear so we can let them go and move on.

Today if you have unresolved issues that are weighing on you, choose to solve them and let them go.  You don’t need to drag them along with you.  You deserve to feel free and confident, and taking care of things now will give that to you.

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